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Here's your schmuck du jour brought to you by money which [Money falling from the air]

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definitely does not grow on trees don't be absurd it's 75% cotton so it

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obviously grows on plants duh okay here's our question which of the

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following is a secondary reinforcer and here are our potential answers....

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...okay before we take a look at the answer specifically it's

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probably best we contexualise our terms here exactly what is this reinforcer [Girl reading a book]

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business even referring to well if an enforcer is a tough guy hockey player

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who fights people is the secondary reinforcer the guy who shows up once the [Hockey player hits another player]

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fights over and makes fun of the loser? not quite now what

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we're talking about is operant conditioning the modification of

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adaptive conscious behaviors based on reinforcement and punishment now there

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are two types of reinforcers who reinforce behavior primary and secondary

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primary enforcers have intrinsic value while secondary reinforcers do not. To [primary and secondary reinforcer details]

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reinforce this idea okay let's take a look at an example all right here's you

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this is a super accurate representation of you the viewer sitting at your [Boy sitting at computer desk]

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computer now you yes you are studying on shmoop in preparation for your big exam

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now there are probably a whole host of reinforcers that encourage you to

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consciously and actively study for your exam many of those are primary [Boy studying on computer and parents appear]

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reinforcers that have intrinsic value like a hug from your mom when your score

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is high on a test or your dad telling you how proud he is of you other primary

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reinforcers include being rewarded water when you're thirsty or being able to

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rest when you're tired these are all primary motivating factors that have

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intrinsic value that is they're valuable for exactly what they are and are

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totally real.. secondary reinforcers on the other hand don't have intrinsic

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value in other words they're valuable because our society has deemed them

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valuable in the case of you and your parents [Boy standing with parents]

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secondary reinforcers could be your good grades, acceptance into a good university

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or even an academic award they aren't inherently valuable but as a

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society we've decided these things have value so now that we understand our

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definitions let's take a look at our answers again clearly four of those

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answers are primary reinforcers answers B through E all speak to our basic and

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biological needs and therefore have intrinsic value money on the other hand [Man with piles of money]

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has no intrinsic value we only value money because we as a society have all

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agreed to making it a secondary reinforcer in the answer we've been

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looking for so we don't know why we all value money so highly just plant the [Girl shaking a piggy bank]

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money plant like we did here at shmoop and it froze... we

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totally did not do that all right got to go...

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